Wal-Mart, Newman’s Own foundations giving back to community through donations to teachers

Article By Peter Krowiak On September - 15 - 2009

A major retail chain is giving back to the community through donating money to teachers across the country.

Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores have announced they will donate more than $4 million through a recently-launched program. The Teacher Rewards program will help around 40,000 when it comes to buying classroom supplies.

Margaret McKenna, president of the Wal-Mart Foundation, noted that teachers play an important role in developing children into leaders for the future.

"Through the Teacher Rewards program, Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club recognize those efforts and allow educators to purchase the materials needed to support excellent teaching."

Every Wal-Mart store and Sam’s Club location will pick a school in its community that focuses on grades kindergarten through eight and is also in the greatest financial need. Once the school is selected, 10 teachers will be randomly selected to get a Teachers Rewards program card.

Teachers will be able to use the $100 card at Wal-Mart stores and Sam’s Club in order to purchase the classroom supplies they may need. The teachers will also be able to use the cards at the stores’ websites for online purchases.

Wal-Mart isn’t alone when it comes to giving cards to teachers. Recently, the Newman’s Own Foundation donated money to teachers in the Hartford, Connecticut, Public School System. The foundation is gave $25,000 to teachers in the school system who showed their classes had made notable academic strides.

The money from the Newman’s Own Foundation will be put on cards, which, like the Wal-Mart cards, can be used to purchase school supplies for classrooms. In the Hartford Public School System, more than 400 teachers in 13 schools will receive cards from the foundation.

Hudson school receives Walmart donation

By Jeff Malachowski/Daily News staff

The MetroWest Daily News

Posted Oct 23, 2009 @ 12:01 AM

HUDSON —

For the second time this week Walmart has been a most giving neighbor. The retail chain yesterday awarded 10 $100 gift certificates to teachers at Forest Avenue Elementary School to buy classroom supplies.

Earlier this week Walmart presented the town with $3,500 to use for planning and supplies for the upcoming H1N1 flu clinics.

Mark Ropi, community involvement director at Hudson Walmart, said Walmart has chosen teachers of the year in the communities where its stores are located for the past 11 years. An award winner, he said, gets a 1,000 education grant for the teacher's school and a $100 Walmart gift certificate for classroom needs.

This year the store held a contest for the best school in the community based on nominations from residents and Walmart employees, Ropi said. Schools in Hudson, Marlborough and Stow were eligible. Ropi said Forest Avenue Elementary School won because of the number and quality of the nominations.

"School hadn't even started yet and I already knew how great this school was," said David Champigny, Forest Avenue Elementary School principal.

With teachers across the country spending an average of $500 of their own money on supplies, Ropi said it was more beneficial to award the gift certificates to 10 educators rather than one.

"A lot of teachers spend a lot of money out of their own pockets. It is a good incentive for the teachers."

With its award, Forest Avenue Elementary School will also be entered in a nationwide drawing where the 10 teachers could win $500 gift certificates.

Champigny and Superintendent Kevin Lyons said the recognition and donation will go far in educating Forest Avenue students.